The present invention relates to a system for balancing a two-wheeled vehicle and specifically to a system incorporating a selectively precessed spinning gyro rotor for balancing two-wheeled vehicles when about to stop or when stopped.
Two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles generally create gyroscopic forces while their wheels are rotating keeping these vehicles in balance. These vehicles become unstable and will tip on their sides when stopped unless the rider puts a foot on the ground or pavement for stability. This xe2x80x9cgroundingxe2x80x9d of the rider is a nuisance which riders will go to great lengths to avoid. Putting a foot down is both objectively and subjectively undesirable in that it detracts from both the utility and sense of freedom of these vehicles.
The general use of gyros to stabilize a vehicle is known. However, these gyros tend to be continuously precessed in order to balance the vehicle. Consequently, these gyros are always generating forces interfering with the operation of such vehicles. As a result, two-wheeled vehicles incorporating these devices have problems when steering, especially when banking the vehicle to make a turn since the gyro generated forces will have the tendency to upright the vehicle thereby putting the rider in a dangerous situation.
Other gyros used to stabilize two-wheeled vehicles are coaxially mounted within the wheel of such vehicles. These spinning gyros are not precessed and therefore are ineffective in balancing the two-wheeled vehicle. Another problem with many gyro systems in use today is that they may be difficult to incorporate it into an existing vehicle.
As such, a system is needed for generating forces for keeping a two-wheeled vehicle in balance while at low speeds approaching a stop or when stopped and which do not generate forces when the vehicle is traveling so as to not interfere with the operation of the vehicle. Moreover, a system is needed that can be easily incorporated into existing vehicles.
A system for balancing two-wheeled vehicles is provided. The system includes a tipping sensor for detecting the incipient tipping of a two-wheeled vehicle. The system also includes a small gyro rotor typically weighing less than 10 pounds, a motor for spinning the gyro rotor, and a precessing device for precessing the gyro rotor about an velocity sensor or may receive input from the vehicle speed measuring equipment such as a speedometer. A controller receives information from the tipping and velocity sensors.
The system allows for the selective precession of the gyro rotor. The motor spins the gyro rotor at high RPMs, e.g., 25,000 RPM. When the two-wheeled vehicle is stopped or is about to come to a stop (i.e., when its speed is less than a minimum predetermined speed) and begins to tip, the tipping sensor senses the incipient tipping of the vehicle. Simultaneously, the controller activates the precessing device for rapidly precessing the spinning gyro rotor (e.g., 100 radians/sec. or more) in a direction for generating a force counterbalancing the tipping. The precession device then returns or allows the precesses gyro to return to its original non-precessed position. While the vehicle is traveling, the gyro rotor is not precessed thereby preventing the generation of forces that would interfere with the normal operation of the vehicle as in the case when the vehicle is tipped during turning.
By spinning the gyro rotor at high RPMs and precessing it at a high angular velocity, e.g., xe2x80x9churryingxe2x80x9d the precession to generate an appropriate anti-tipping force, a small gyro rotor may be used for balancing the two-wheeled vehicle when stopped or about to stop. As such, the inventive system can be packaged in a small package that can be purchased as a separate accessory for mounting onto an existing two-wheeled vehicle. To allow the gyro rotor to obtain high RPMs, it is preferred that the spinning gyro rotor is packaged in at least a partial vacuum. The system can also be incorporated into two-wheeled vehicles at the time of manufacture.